Since most people seem to prefer prop planes, here's a few good ones on that subject:
Wing Leader - By James 'Johnnie' Johnson (great book, covers most of the RAF European air war from the tail-end of the Battle of Britain to the Armistice and features some unrivalled descriptions of dogfights and fighter tactics operations, if you want to know what being on a fighter sweep in a spitfire was like, this is the book that will tell you. A great read and a must for any combat sim fan.)
Spitfire on my Tail - By Ulrich Steinhilper (another good book and intersting in that it is not written by an Me-109 'Ace' but just a run-of-the-mill average squadron pilot. Lots of detailed descriptions of training, squadron duties, ops, and of course, what it was like to be shot down over England. Recommended.)
JG 26 Top Guns of the Luftwaffe - By Donald L Caldwell (Good study of the most famous Luftwaffe squadron throughout WW2 and some details of flyers in the Spanish Civil War. Also features a foreward by Adolf Galland. A good general history.)
The Red Baron Combat Wing: Jagdgeschwader Richthofen in Battle - By Peter Kilduff (one of several very good books on the Baron by Kilduff. This one looks at more detailed aspects of the squadron's tactics than most other books about old Manfred. If this is your interest, also check out 'Der Rotte Kampflieger', by Von Richthofen himself (partly 'ghost written') although the hand of the wartime censor is evident in this book, it does give you a genuine feel for Richthofen the man, and is a great read (English title: The Red air Fighter.)
Fighting the Flying Circus - By Eddie Rickenbacker (A great autobiography, detailing the Escadrille Lafayette in WW1 and the later US Aero Squadrons of WW1, lots of great descriptions of combat.)
Flying Fury: Five years in the Royal Flying Corps - By James McCudden (A great read about the combat life of one of the Great War's best pilots.)
King of Air Fighters - By Ira Jones (An absolutely 'must have' book that is a biography of Edward 'Mick' Mannock VC who was (probably) WW1's genuine highest-scoring pilot (despite never actually receiving the accolade). Somewhat anti-German in its sentiment owing to the fact that Ira Jones was also a WW1 ace and the book was written for a hungry WW2 audience, it is nevertheless an interesting read.)
The Luftwaffe Fighters' Battle of Britain -By Chris Goss (A book of anecdotes from German pilots (both bomber and fighter) detailing their BoB exploits. Lots of cool info and a mine of info for modern day aviation archeologists.)
Theres a few to get you started, I could mention more since my bookshelves are groaning under the weight of books on this subject, but got some work to do.
Happy reading - Chock
